Fire and Ice
by fetherhd
Summary: Yuffie just does not understand what Vincent sees in Highwind. What does that crusty, foul mouthed, OLD man have that she doesn't! This short addresses that WTF factor that Valenwind tends to create when readers first see the pairing.


Many will have noticed that my fan fics seem to have appeared and then disappeared. For a long time now I have been very discouraged about writing fan fiction, recieving a lot of pressure from family about it being a total waste of my time. I had come to the point that I agreed with them and I pulled my fanfics in order to concentrate on original writing. Recently...I was told by another wonderful fan fic writing that it was "The Orphans of Cerberus" that inspired her to take up creative writing again. This was a bombshell to me as I had not realized that my "silly little waste if time" stories might be the catalyst that inspires one of the futures great writers. Be patient with me...my stories are going back up but I do have to edit "Orphans" to stay with in FF's Maturity guidelines. The unedited version can be found on Adult fan fiction. Thank you in advance for your patience!

Having said this...this is a fan fiction. I make no profit from it. Square Enix holds all rights to the Final Fantasy world and its characters. My first reaction to ValenWind was a typical WTF...you have got to be kidding me...CAN you imagine what YUFFIE"S reaction would be?

Fire and Ice

Yuffie huddled against the Highwind's cold wall, cradled her bucket a little closer …just in case…and settled herself in for a good self pity session. She just did not get it. The young woman gagged a little and then sighed. She could deal with the fact that the man that she had a raging crush on had no interest what so ever in her. It was a knife in her thieving heart that said man's glacial heart, it turned out, had been stolen by another. The fact that the other woman was, in fact, a man, wasn't even the killing blow. No… the thing that had the ninja's mind stuttering to a complete halt was that the man that the pale, fiercely intelligent, intensely solitary, and (sigh) lets face it delicately beautiful gunner had chosen over all else was none other than… Cid Highwind!

Was this some kind of sick cosmic joke? It was bad enough that they were chasing a madman across the world and back on a quest that would probably mean their grisly deaths in the end. BUT…the gods had decided to up the entertainment factor and get some nyuck nyucks in at her expense just for the added fun. Cidney fucking Highwind and Valentine…man…. So much about that was just…wrong!

If it had been Cloud who had claimed her Valentine, the young woman would have at least understood. The ex-Soldier and the ex-Turk had much more in common than either man would be willing to admit. It wasn't that both had been tortured and experimented on by Hojo. Or even the years out of their lives that had been lost to that insane creep. Both men kept their emotions close to their hearts, and although Vincent seemed to be the more mentally fragile of the two, Yuffie wasn't so sure that Cloud's soul was not every bit as damaged as the demon ridden gunslinger's seemed to be. Their leader was maybe just a little better at hiding it. Heck, the two even shared that remarkable mixture of vulnerability and strength that was so damned attractive. And speaking of attractive…yum… the two of them together would certainly be some real eye candy for sure! Honeyed brown eyes settled for a second on the slender form of Cloud, and then flicked over to pick out the tall, cloaked form of the gunslinger as he stood motionless at his usual post. The girl wrinkled her pert nose as the Captain's rough voice drew that gleaming ruby gaze towards the helm.

Cid Highwind was OLD! (and not in the same sense as Vincent!) He was also coarse, crude, had a vocabulary that could curdle milk and he smoked like an asthmatic dragon! The pilot's rough looks could not possibly be attractive to someone as sophisticated as Valentine so what in the heck did the gunner see in the man that she couldn't? The two men weren't just opposites, they were so far at the opposite ends of the spectrum that their being together might just rip a hole in the fabric of reality big enough for Highwind to pilot his ship through! As partners they were as compatible as fire and ice….sigh… The girl groaned and hung her head over her bucket. If she did not get this figured out, the blow to her not inconsiderable ego (and heart) was going to kill her!(and if it didn't then she was going to die from unrequited curiosity.)

Over the next couple of days, neither of the "odd" couple gave any sign that they were aware that they were being shadowed. Of course this did not surprise Yuffie. After all… she WAS a ninja. It did not take her long to realize that the comparison of fire and ice was dead on in its' accuracy. But…not quite in the context that she had expected. The one who wrapped himself in a cloak the color of a bloodied sunrise, and whose eyes gleamed like two banked coals, the one who carried creatures of hellfire in his very soul was NOT the one who burned like flame.

Highwind, no matter his mood, lit the world around him like an incandescent star. When the Captain stood at the helm of his great ship, broad shoulders set, strong hands on the wheel, the very air around him seemed to warm with his contentment. The man was quick to smile and never stingy with his laughs. Cid loved life and lived it to the max…whether it be drinking, fighting or flying, all was done with an all out passion that shone through those brilliant blues of his.

On the other side of this bright coin, The man was as mercurial as that most capricious of all of the elements. NO One wanted to bear the brunt of blistering heat (and language) if something sparked the pilot's awesome temper. Many a crew hand (and a few members of Avalanche) had slunk away, visibly shaken by one of these outbursts, looking distinctly frazzled at being caught inside of the blast radius. Still, these storms were usually quick to pass, and the man was apt to silently apologize for his outbursts in weird but endearing ways. (most of which involved a hot cup of tea!) If you could get through the smoke (and lets face it, there was A LOT of that), and penetrate the crust that the old man used as armor, one could bask all day in the warmth put off by the Captain's kind and caring heart. Humm….Yuffie turned this thought over carefully in her quick mind. MAYBE…this was why Valentine spent so much time in Highwind's sometimes abrasive company?

If anyone needed to warm up…it was most definitely the demon ridden gunslinger. Not physically…the ex-Turk never seemed to be affected by changes in the temperature. No…if anyone could change the temp in a room just by walking in, it would be Valentine. The man was as cold as the northern glacier. They had found Vincent lying as still as death in a coffin and even though he walked among the living, it was as if he carried the chill of the grave with him wherever he went.

You would think that someone who carried a fire thrower like the Galian beast and a demon named Chaos around inside of him would be pretty hot stuff! This was not the case. Every task that Vincent was given was preformed with the same single minded precision. Whether it be saddling a chocobo, or putting a bullet through someone or some THING, the act was accomplished with no outward sign of emotion whatsoever. No passion, no sadness, no anger, no…regret showed in those glorious crimson eyes, even in the heat of battle. It was as if the man's very heart had been cut out and nothing but cold arctic winds swirled in the hole that was left.

Yuffie had hoped that SHE might be the one to warm those ruby eyes and fill that frigid void but such was not the case. Her spark was evidently just not bright enough. Still… those honeyed brown eyes narrowed….she had seen very little change in Vincent since the "news" about the two men had been leaked by Cait Sith. Maybe the little robot had been jacking her around. HAH…that was probably the answer. YES…the ninja made a quick fist pump and shifted back into the shadows. SHE still had a chance.

At least this is what the young woman thought until the crimson cloaked warrior fell in battle the next day. Cid had landed the Highwind near a small lake that they had visited before, and both men had disappeared into the surrounding forest. Yuffie….concerned for their safety…(um hum that was her story and she was sticking to it!) had followed at a discreet distance. When both men stripped to bathe in the lake….the white rose of Wuttai decided that maybe it would be better if she took a short walk….she most certainly did NOT need to see Highwind bare assed naked! The sound of shouting and gunfire soon had her running back toward the lake. Yuffie broke into the clear, leaped over a fallen log on the fly and promptly slipped in the soft mud of a small bank hidden behind it. She slithered on her ass right underneath a great scale covered monstrosity that must have taken up residency in the lake. The huge bulk of the thing blocked out the sun as whip like tails lashed at Cid who was engaged in a lethal dance of shaft and blade, using Venus Gospel to keep razor edged spines away from fragile flesh. She had no chance to see Valentine as her vision was suddenly blocked by a great taloned foot slashing down on her. The girl twisted, trying to avoid being crushed but she could get no purchase in the greasy lake slop. Mother Gia…she was going to end her life a virgin, squashed like a bug in the mud….that sucke…. Shadows shifted, and sunlight flashed on gold, a hard hand tangled itself in the material of her shirt and Vincent was there, twisting his lithe body to pull her out of the sucking goop and throw her clear as that giant foot slammed down hard.

Yuffie rolled up, shocked gaze focused on where the man had been, a space now occupied by at least several tons of water dragon. The girl fully expected one of Valentine's demons to rise howling into battle but all that happened was that the beast bore down, grinding the crimson into the mud with an ominous cracking sound.

"Vince…"

This half whisper, half sob, so unlike Highwind's usual joyful or more rarely, enraged battle yells, jerked the ninja's attention around. Cid staggered, and jerked forwards, the tip of his precious spear sank into the mire and for a second the man just froze letting it take his weight as his other hand reached towards the fallen. Yuffie's heart stuttered as those blazing cerulean eyes bored into hers for a moment, then their color shifted, becoming as hard and cold as arctic ice. Highwind let his ever present smoke fall from a mouth that tightened into a hard thin line. Holy Shit….how could she have forgotten that this man had been a Dragoon!? In one smooth move, the spear whipped up out of the mud. As Cid flowed into a graceful spin, the glittering head cut the air with a metallic whine. One tail dropped writhing in the mud as the warrior finished his spin, rotated and brought the singing weapon around to dance across his forearms in a nasty figure eight. A second tail joined the first. Yuffie stood silent, mesmerized by the cold precision and lethal accuracy of the waltz the "old" man was engaged in. It ended with the spear balanced across one broad shoulder and those frightening eyes again boring into hers. The girl had a sudden sinking feeling that Cid intended to put that wicked blade right through her.

"Yuffie…MOVE yer ass!"

Whipping around, the girl realized that the dragon had given up on a shore lunch and had dipped its' ugly head as it lifted its' foot, wholly intent on having a little man jello dessert instead. She heard the whisper of air as Cid launched the Gospel and she dropped without thought. The spear screamed by her close enough to lift her hair in the wind of its' passing and the Captain did NOT miss. The weapon sank into one slitted eye, and buried at least half of its' length in the creature's brain. It spasmed straight up, then crashed over backwards, its' death throes whipping the lake water into froth.

Yuffie joined the pilot and helped the man pry Vincent away from the sucking grip if the mud. Highwind did not make a sound as he rolled the gunner's limp form on its' side and used his own fingers to scoop mud out from between pale lips and away from the aquiline nose. Cid's face was set in a cold stern mask, as he tilted the delicate chin, covered the slightly open mouth with his own and forced his own breath down into oxygen starved lungs. Those iced over eyes never left Valentine's pale face and Yuffie suddenly found herself praying that the sky Captain's flame had not been forever extinguished. For several heart breaking minutes this continued, then, the gunslinger jerked in the arms that held him, gagged, spat up a glop of nasty stinking mud, and sucked a breath of life giving air in on his own. The effect was almost instant. The cerulean blue practically glowed as tight muscles relaxed when there was a glimmer of warm crimson from under half closed porcelain thin lids. Highwind's trademark smile split his face. He gave the man he cradled a light shake.

"Mother FUCKING Gia, Vince! You tell that bat winged fucker from hell, that if he EVER allows something like this ta shitten happen again I am gonna fricken come in there and kick his grey ASS all the way ta hell and back!"

There was a slight quirk of pale lips in answer and those lids closed back down again.

Later that evening, Yuffie stood outside of the Captain's state room. She had come to apologize for following the couple. (and she now knew that this term was correct in every way) But the soft sounds coming from the room had stopped her before her first knock could fall. the girl stood for a moment a light blush coloring her cheeks at the sound of soft moans and gentle words of love spoken in a deep, velvety voice. Her thin shoulders drooped for a moment, then pulled back as Yuffie lifted her head proudly. Well.. HELL…she still did not understand it, but there were some things in life that did not need to be understood to be believed. Besides, she was the White Rose of Wuttia…she could get over this and be happy for them.

A silent shadow watched Yuffie give a little salute to the door she faced and then firmly stride away. Sky blue eyes narrowed a little and a soft chuckle overlaid the quiet sounds of love making coming from the room. Cloud rubbed the back of his neck and ran a slim hand through his spikes. He had been worried about how Yuffie was going to react to this "situation". He wished the girl had just come and talked to him. He could have given her some answers. As a swordsman, he was very aware of the relationship between the fire and the frozen. Yes…when you tried to combine the two, sometimes all you created was a true tempest. BUT….when you take metal heated to the white hot and plunged it into ice…well… then you created something with the flexibility to bend when it had to, and the strength to take a mighty blow and do nothing more than keen the sweet song of battle. ALL who worshipped with steel knew that the strongest swords were made of separate pieces of cold Damascus steel. These were folded together over and over again until they were one inseparably joined piece. Then they were forged in the heart of the flame and tempered to elegant strength by the cool kiss of melting ice.

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As always reviews are always appreciated!


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